It's time for baseball in the Rockies. Visit here often and get your baseball news from Thomas Harding of MLB.com

Corpas leaves Tracy pleased, other notes

Right-handed reliever Manuel Corpas, trying to return from an elbow injury that slowed him last season and trying to regain the form he showed in closing for the NL Champion Rockies in 2007, had a throwing Saturday session that left manager Jim Tracy encouraged.

Corpas has been nursing a hamstring problem this spring, but that wasn’t a problem when he faced hitters Saturday.

“Let’s go back and realize what I was watching from the other side of the field and what I saw take place in 2007,” said Tracy, who managed the Pirates at that point. “This was a special guy.

“What I wanted to see today, which he showed me more than once is driving the ball down. This is a very effective guy when he’s down in the zone.”

— Two players in particular have stood out for Tracy.

Shortstop Troy Tulowitzki hit .297 with 32 home runs and 92 RBIs last season. To do that, he had to overcome a bad start, as well as some bad habits in the batter’s box.

Tracy said, “I remember looking him right in the eye and saying, ‘A 6-foot-4-inch shortstop with a 5-foot-10-inch offensive approach … The first thing that you have to do in order to hit is stand up. They throw you a breaking ball and your head is going [upward] and the ball’s going that way [downward].

Man, he’s over it now.”

Tracy also discussed left fieler Carlos Gonzalez. Like many special hitters, the ball sounds different, and travels differently.

Meta

The following are trademarks or service marks of Major League Baseball entities and may be used only with permission of Major League Baseball Properties, Inc. or the relevant Major League Baseball entity: Major League, Major League Baseball, MLB, the silhouetted batter logo, World Series, National League, American League, Division Series, League Championship Series, All-Star Game, and the names, nicknames, logos, uniform designs, color combinations, and slogans designating the Major League Baseball clubs and entities, and their respective mascots, events and exhibitions.